Until the last few years, the use of electrodialysis in the chemical/ pharmaceutical industry has not been widespread for several reasons: mainly, some limitations in the chemical resistance of membranes or gaskets, and the industry perception that electrodialysis might not be a valid chemical separation process.
However, Eurodia/ Ameridia and our parent company Tokuyama Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) have introduced new types of membranes and gaskets that offer good resistance in many chemical streams. Thanks to these, the smooth operation of electrodialysis stacks has been achieved at several chemical plants. This positive operating experience continues to encourage progressive companies to implement electrodialysis as a separation process to remove or separate ionized compounds (such as salts, acids, and bases) from non-ionized products. In addition, the separation of ionized compounds between themselves is now possible thanks to the development of several monovalent selective cation- and even anion-exchange membranes. Recently, temperature resistant membranes and gaskets have been introduced, allowing operation at temperatures up to 60°C (140°F) that could offer additional benefits in some processes.
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